Results 11,561-11,580 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I have one point to make to Deputy Naughten, if I can. This fund is not paid for by the oil companies. They collect it. It is paid for by the motorists. That is one thing to be absolutely clear, honest and accurate about. If I can refer it to Deputy Mattie McGrath, who asked me whether I was listening, the key question he asked was why could we not have used the money already raised. To...

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: What this fund is designed to do as well as big projects, such as the Bord na Móna projects I mentioned earlier, is to help small communities be part of the process and the transformation. It will be a small help maybe in those cases but every bit helps in terms of everyone being part of it. If we do this, we can get to what Deputy Fitzmaurice said, which is public support for a range...

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: This is only one piece in the jigsaw of changes we will have to make. We will have to ring-fence funds. We have to ring-fence the funds from carbon taxation for social welfare increases to protect people from fuel poverty, to improve people's homes and to establish new farming initiatives that support farmers. We will have to do a range of work on communications on how we get this as a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Tourism Promotion (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I am responding to the Deputies on this matter because the formal transfer of tourism functions to my colleague the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Catherine Martin, has yet to be completed. Shannon Heritage is part of the Shannon Group, which operates in the aviation and tourism sectors. In addition to the dramatic fall-off in passengers at Shannon Airport, the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Tourism Promotion (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Deputies. They are right. Not only does the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Catherine Martin, have an interest in this, I and the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, are very aware that the Shannon Group as a whole is in real difficulty, along with the rest of the aviation and tourism sector. I will commit to examining the proposal from the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Tourism Promotion (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I am.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Football Association of Ireland (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I thank Deputy MacSharry for raising this important matter. The Deputy will recall that since the scale of the governance of financial mismanagement within the FAI became clear over the past year, the FAI has been in a financial crisis the likes of which has never been faced by an Irish sporting body. On 30 January, the then Government took the decision to ensure the survival of the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Football Association of Ireland (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: We are all concerned and looking to support the grassroots and the future development of Irish soccer. The way that has to be done is for the MOU to be agreed in full. That will require the FAI to convene an EGM this month to implement rule changes to provide for an increase to six independent directors on its board and it will require those members of the FAI council with more than ten...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Just Transition Fund (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The progressive reduction in the use of fossil fuels for power generation will be essential component to meeting the Programme for Government commitment to an average 7% per annum reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from 2021 to 2030. The 2019 Climate Action Plan has already committed to ending the burning of coal at Moneypoint by 2025 at the latest and to the replacement of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Bord na Móna (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The Government is committed to supporting Bord na Móna to deliver an extensive multi-annual programme of rehabilitation of the company’s land bank. My Department and Bord na Móna are progressing the necessary measures, including funding, to facilitate the advanced rehabilitation of 33,000 hectares of Bord na Móna bog previously harvested for peat used in electricity...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Heritage Sites (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I can confirm to the Deputy that management at Shannon Group, the parent Company for Shannon Heritage have been in contact with my Department in relation to the opening arrangements of its various sites, arising from the impacts of Covid-19. However, as the Deputy may be aware the management of Shannon heritage sites, including their opening arrangements, is an operational matter for Shannon...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I understand that the focus of the Deputy's question is about the approach for supporting both public and private operators in the public transport sector in relation to the challenges raised by the Covid-19 health emergency. Over the course of the COVID-19 crisis, my Department has been working closely with the National Transport Authority (NTA) to ensure public transport services...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licences (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The National Driver Licence Service has resumed its counter service for people applying for driving licences from 8 June, with revised working practices to keep its customers and staff as safe as possible. There is an inevitable backlog of people wishing to have a driving licence/learner permit issued, and walk-in applicants are not admitted at the moment; appointments are required for...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Test (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The Driver Theory Test service resumed full operations on 8th June 2020, with some operational changes due to Covid-19 measures to minimize the risk to both candidates and staff. Inevitably, there is a backlog of candidates waiting to take the test. A candidate who believes they have a valid case for being allowed to sit the Driver Theory Test before others in the queue can email the National...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: As the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The issue raised is an operational matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) in conjunction with Iarnród Éireann and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Semi-State Bodies (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I can confirm to the Deputy that management in Shannon Group have been in contact with officials in my Department in relation to recent announcements by the Group to seek a small number of voluntary redundancies and pay cuts among staff. The Deputy will be aware that Shannon Group is a commercial State Body and such matters are operational matters for the Group and Shannon Airport...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sport Ireland (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I am informed by Sport Ireland that it has not released any funds to the association mentioned by the Deputy to date in 2020 and that no funds are scheduled to be paid out by Sport Ireland to the association in advance of an Emergency General Meeting which I understand the association will convene in the near future. I understand that the association has indicated that its Annual...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Consumer Protection (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy has identified a difficulty with the legal requirements on airlines under EU law. Under EU Regulation 261, air passengers are entitled to a full cash refund within 7 days in instances where a flight is cancelled by an airline. However, if a flight goes ahead and a customer does not use their ticket, they are not entitled to a refund. I understand that the main Irish airlines have...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Test (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: In a case such as this, because of the length of time since the learner permit expired, the person must start at the beginning of the process once more, and successful undergo the Driver Theory Test before applying for a learner permit. If a candidate for the driver theory test is unable to read or write, he/she can apply for special arrangements to take the test. A letter of evidence...

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Second Stage (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Cathaoirleach and congratulate him on his own elevation. I do not think I have seen him since he was appointed to his new role. I wish him the best of luck with it. The overall purpose of the Bill is to amend the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, Act 2007 to provide for the establishment of the climate action fund on a statutory basis, extend the purposes for which the NORA...